The Imperial Core
International:
EU: The European Commission unveiled an action plan on Tuesday (28 November) to accelerate the roll-out of electricity grids and remove bottlenecks hampering the deployment of renewable energies at the local level.E 38% of Europeans no longer eat three meals a day.EN The EU’s top court has ruled that government offices across the bloc can prohibit their employees from visibly wearing signs of religious belief.EN
National:
Finland: Finland will close Russian border for 2 weeks to stop asylum seekers.E
Germany: Germany has been stuck in a budgetary crisis ever since the constitutional court’s bombshell judgment of November 15, which has left all the government’s spending plans for this year and 2024 in tatters.FT Scholz urges support for Ukraine despite budget crisis.RT 32 per cent of surveyed industrial companies in August told the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) that they favoured investment abroad over domestic expansion — double the 16 per cent identified in the previous year’s survey — amid concern over a future without cheap Russian gas.FT French tire giant Michelin will slash over 1,500 jobs in Germany by 2025, the company announced in Frankfurt on Tuesday. Competition from lower-wage nations and soaring energy prices have made production in Western Europe unprofitable, according to a statement.RT Around 607,000 people were homeless in Germany in 2022. Of these, 50,000 were permanently without a roof over their heads. This amounts to an increase of 58.5 percent over the previous year, when 383,000 people were homeless.WSWS
Italy: No agreement was reached between the Italian government and the main trade unions – CGIL, CISL, UIL and UGL – regarding the 2024 at the Palazzo Chigi on Tuesday, which means the general strike of 15 December will go ahead.E
Netherlands: Ahead of last week’s Dutch elections, the center-left called on voters to stop far-right leader Geert Wilders — but he won easily anyway. The Left needs to give working-class people a hopeful project to rally behind, not just rhetoric about defending democracy.J
Portugal: Portugal’s hydrogen project in Sines was selected as one of the cross-border energy initiatives eligible to apply for EU financial support because they are in line with the Green Deal.E
Spain: On Thursday, trade unions and women’s movements across Spain’s Basque Country held an explicitly feminist general strike. Workers are striking for a public community care system.J
Switzerland: Switzerland imported more than 14 tons of gold from Russia last month for processing, taking advantage of the fact that it was shipped through third countries, and thus did not violate Western sanctions.RT
United Kingdom: Fossil fuel companies have ploughed more than £147m into British universities in seven years and been given “horrifying” influence over academic degree courses.OD House prices grew 0.2 per cent between October and November, mortgage provider Nationwide said on Friday. The increase follows a 0.9 per cent expansion in the previous month and a marginal rise in September.FT Members of the RMT union have voted to accept a pay deal and end almost 18 months of strikes across the UK rail network.FT Aslef, the train drivers’ union, said on Friday its members had voted overwhelmingly to extend industrial action for another six months ahead of a week of “rolling” strikes across the UK rail network.FT
Canada: The ongoing refugee housing crisis in Toronto has shone a light on Canada’s lack of adequate supports for asylum seekers.CD ‘Killer Water’: The toxic truth about Alberta’s oil sands Canada is hiding.RNN
United States: Far From Over, Post-9/11 Wars Continue in 78 Countries Under President BidenCD Foreign-owned land growing across the United States.IM Economic activity in the U.S. manufacturing sector contracted in November for the 13th month in a row, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said Friday.PD A novel program reimburses landowners for replenishing groundwater, in a bid to add regularity to the state’s boom and bust water system.ICN Climate report indicates dire future for Mississippi River basin, which is already feeling impacts.IM US grain exports threatened by insufficient draft along the Mississippi for barges.MP
Battery Prices Are Falling Again, and That’s a Good Thing.ICN Electric vehicle manufacturers are having trouble selling the cars, though: Car Dealers Warn Biden Administration to Pump Brakes on EV PlansNC ‘Sacrifice zone’: booming US LNG sector leaves its mark on the Gulf. Rising gas exports have eased Europe’s energy crisis — but worsened life in communities near the plants.FT Generative AI could revolutionize health care — but not if control is ceded to big tech.N
Next on United Auto Workers’ To-Do List: Adding More Members Who Currently at Nonunion Factories to Its Ranks.SP Ten weeks on strike: Grand Rapids healthcare workers stand strong.PW U.S. capitalists conclude ‘workers are losing control’ of job market.PW West Virginians Could Get Stuck Cleaning Up the Coal Industry’s Messes.PP
Japan: About 40,000 birds were culled in southern Japan on Sunday after a highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak was confirmed.CGTN
New Zealand: Incoming New Zealand government prepares sweeping attack on public education.WSWS
South Korea: South Korea’s first domestically made military spy satellite was launched on Friday. Seoul had until now relied on US commercial and military satellites for high-resolution images. The launch provides the South Korean military with “its own intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities."RT Literally what is the point? “That’ll show you, North Korea! I bet you’re feeling REAL STUPID now!”
The Semi-Periphery
International:
The inevitable is finally, inexorably, happening as the [Indian] government’s 9-year old strategy to isolate, demonise and brand Pakistan as a state sponsoring terrorism collapses in front of the global community. Pakistan just showed the middle finger at New Delhi by formally applying for BRICS membership.IP
Asia is lagging behind Europe in the transition to green shipping.SCMP
Baltics, Ukraine to boycott OSCE’s Skopje meeting over Lavrov attendance.E
National:
Bulgaria: The amount of Russian oil imported into the EU through the Lukoil refinery in Bulgaria has increased significantly in the past few months.E The heaviest snowfalls in more than a decade cut the power for over 1,000 cities, towns and villages in Bulgaria and blocked key roads and railways.BNE Bulgarian Socialist Party to form broad coalition with pro-Russian, nationalist parties.E They do have some reactionary policies of their own, to be honest. The Party of European Socialists (PES) stands ready to take all necessary measures against its local member in Bulgaria.E
Czechia: The biggest Czech steel mill, Liberty Ostrava, part of UK-based Liberty Steel Group, has asked the regional court in Ostrava for protection from creditors. Liberty Ostrava has 30 days to submit the restructuring proposal to the court in order to avoid bankruptcy.BNE
Hungary: Hungary’s Orbán doubles down on blocking Ukraine accession talks.E
Lithuania: China has eased ‘economic pressure’ on Lithuania, says Baltic foreign minister amid ‘ongoing’ talks.SCMP I always find it entertaining when governments do these showy acts of defiance and then a few days/weeks/months/years later, the capitalists give them a stern lecture and they have to backtrack on it.
Serbia: Farmers who have been blocking roads in Vojvodina and other parts of Serbia since May over unmet demands from the Agriculture Ministry have agreed to measures with the government and promised to end the blockades.E
Slovakia: Slovak truckers will block the main border crossing with Ukraine from Friday (1 December), the country’s truckers association UNAS said, joining Polish protests to win restrictions against Ukrainian drivers.E Bratislava will further extend and tighten the rules for the commodities’ transit and has also ban the import of Ukrainian honey, sugar, malt and soybeans.E
Ukraine: Weeks of road blockades by Polish truckers protesting at the border will reduce Ukraine’s overall imports by about a fifth in November and could cost Kyiv one percentage point of GDP growth if they drag on, a senior Ukrainian official said.E Ukraine’s judicial reforms were hit by a serious setback after the Rada undermined the Public Integrity Council, an independent watchdog that oversees the appointment of judges.BNE
Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan’s pro-government media has been ramping up its anti-U.S. rhetoric and the government is publicly musing about banning the activities of USAID, the U.S. government’s international development arm. A campaign against supposed “U.S. spies” continued with the arrest of a fourth media manager in a week’s time.EN
Iran: Iran’s annualised inflation hits 44.9%.BNE
Turkey: Turkish ambassador says his country can help China’s trade with the world, including the EU, with which Turkey has a free-trade agreement while China does not.SCMP
UAE: China engineers complete largest solar farm on Earth in UAE ahead of Cop28. The 4 million panels in the desert outside Abu Dhabi will reduce carbon emissions by 2.4 million tonnes per year and power 200,000 households.SCMP UAE university joins China’s moon project after Arab nation’s initial bid killed by US sanctions.[SCMP]https://archive.ph/LjIKy)
Russia: On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia will continue to play an active role in the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) despite losing its seat in the Executive Council from 2024 to 2026.TS Russia’s Supreme Court ruled today that the “international LGBT movement” is an “extremist organization,” jeopardizing all forms of LGBT rights activism in the country, Human Rights Watch said today.CD Russia set for second largest grain harvest on record at over 151mn tonnes.BNE The share of foreign currency in savings on Russian private accounts has been declining since last year, and amounted to $63.4 billion at the beginning of October. By early November, the share of such deposits had fallen by a further $3.7 billion, and accounted for just 9.4% of household savings, according to the regulator.RT Unemployment levels in Russia plunged to 2.9% in October, according to data from the country’s statistics service, Rosstat, released on Wednesday. The figure is the lowest since the early 1990s.RT Russia’s manufacturing PMI unchanged at 53.8 in November, but economy still growing strongly.BNE
China: Chinese authorities rolled out a raft of measures to further elevate financial services for private companies on Monday, as part of the efforts to spur growth.CGTN On November 24, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced the imminent start of a temporary visa-free entry for passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia when visiting the world’s second-largest economy.CGTN China’s industrial profits continued to grow for the third consecutive month in October, rising 2.7 percent year-on-year.CGTN China’s manufacturing PMI hits 49.4 in November.CGTN China bosses told to clear migrant workers’ dues or face ‘severe’ punishment as Lunar New Year approaches.SCMP
US-sanctioned Huawei forms smart-vehicle joint venture with state-owned Changan Automobile amid effort to diversify businessSCMP China has taken a step toward the world’s first commercial data center under the sea. The data storage unit was submerged into the sea near Hainan Island on Friday.CGTN I think the United States should do this too, though they might need a few missiles to make it happen.
India: India’s eight core industries, namely cement, coal, crude oil, electricity, fertilizers, natural gas, refinery products and steel, registered a 12.1 percent growth in October compared to the same month last year.PD India plans to increase purchases of Russian coking coal, which is vital for the steel industry, after a decline in deliveries from Australia, its former major supplier.RT India is seeking to revive underground coal mining as it tries to boost production to meet the country’s fast-growing energy needs despite international pressure to phase down use of the polluting fossil fuel.FT India is set to hold its first-ever auction of deposit blocks containing critical and strategic minerals for exploration purposes, local media reported on Tuesday.RT
South Africa: South Africa has returned to higher stages of power outages, or load shedding. Stage six load shedding means that Eskom has to cut off 6,000 MW of power from the national grid to prevent a total collapse of the system. This is the highest level of load shedding that Eskom has ever implemented.BNE Troubled state-owned Transnet gets $2.5 billion to meet debt obligations.AN
Argentina: Milei off to US for talks with IMF, WB, and Biden’s administration.MP Milei foresees stagflation for the coming months.MP Why Did Argentina Elect a Right-Wing Non-Establishment Extremist?.NC ‘Leaving without leaving’: Argentines are flocking to Uruguay to avoid a high tax burden.FT
Brazil: In January 2024, Brazil will join the Charter of Cooperation on OPEC+.CGTN On Tuesday, Sao Paulo subway workers began a strike against Governor Tarcisio de Freitas’ privatization plans.TS
Mexico: The city [Monterrey] where Mexico’s nearshoring hype is becoming reality.FT
The Periphery
International:
A New Mood in the World Will Put an End to the Global Monroe Doctrine: The Forty-Seventh NewsletterTC International Anti-Imperialist Forum on Bolivarianism vs. Monroism Opens in Caracas.R
Impotent Capital.DE
As opposed to structural power relations operating as the barrier to development, this collection opens an internal window onto the impotence of capital to develop the productive forces and, in doing so, offers distinctive strategic implications for the centralised organisation of working-class political action across the region.
To understand China’s Belt and Road Initiative, understand Horgos.CGTN
An ambitious Central Asian railway project is facing growing uncertainty. Kyrgyz cabinet chief, Akylbek Japarov, told members of Kyrgyzstan’s parliament recently that the process of updating a feasibility study for the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is nearly complete, Radio Azattyk reports. Japarov indicated that construction on the Kyrgyz portion of the railway could launch in 2024 but acknowledged that funding for the project has not yet been secured. Another publication, the Kyrgyz financial news portal Akchabar, suggested that China’s enthusiasm for the project may be waning.EN
National:
Afghanistan: Afghanistan’s new ambassador to China, the first under Taliban rule, arrived in Beijing on Friday, the Afghan Foreign Affairs Ministry said. The move comes as the hardline Islamist group attempts to build regional alliances to improve its reputation internationally and attract foreign investment.DW
Kazakhstan: Nan Yi, chairman of the Chinese energy company, revealed that since 2015, the company has been investing in new energy projects in Kazakhstan, including photovoltaic and wind energy stations. To date, it has completed the construction of six new energy stations with a total capacity of 380 megawatts, all listed on the key projects list of China-Kazakhstan capacity and investment cooperation. These projects reduce carbon dioxide emissions by one million tonnes annually, while meeting the electricity needs of approximately 600,000 local households.CGTN Kazakhstan has initiated the construction of a new 152-kilometre Darbaza-Maktaaral railway line on the border with Uzbekistan
Pakistan: Pakistan Army hosted a two-week multinational joint counter-terrorism exercise in the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said in a statement.PD
Turkmenistan: China and Turkmenistan have pledged to expand strategic cooperation, including on energy and security.SCMP
Uzbekistan: Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on November 27 attended the launch ceremony for a 1.5-GW thermal power plant in Syrdarya region and the production of green hydrogen in Tashkent region. Both projects are being implemented jointly with Saudi company ACWA Power.BNE Uzbekistan more than doubles gold exports in October.BNE Uzbekistan’s central bank has said that the high dollarisation of deposits, loans and liabilities in the banking system and the practice of concessional lending are hindering the effectiveness of its policy.BNE How thousands of highly-skilled Russians support Uzbekistan’s bid for technology development.BNE
DPRK: The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) warned on Monday it would continue to exercise its sovereign rights, including through satellite launches, while its troops were reported to be restoring some demolished guard posts on the border with the Republic of Korea (ROK).CGTN
Fiji: The South Pacific nation of Fiji is embarking on a mission to achieve rice self-sufficiency within the next two decades, a goal that may be attainable with Chinese assistance, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported Monday.PD
Indonesia: Malaysia and Indonesia want to bring other Southeast Asian countries on their side amid ongoing disputes with the European Union over environmental and deforestation regulations that are set to take effect in late 2024, with the two nations worried about the regulations’ impact on the region’s agriculture exports.DW
Sri Lanka:* Last Friday, about 5,000 Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) workers held a one-day national strike to oppose the privatisation of the state-owned enterprise and the associated attacks on working conditions and benefits.WSWS Tech workers are seeking salaries in dollars, euros, or pounds sterling to avoid being hit by a similar situation in the future. Around 190 tech companies operating in Sri Lanka have started offering salaries based on foreign currencies, according to Pegged Place to Work, a job database for IT professionals.RoW Washington has decided to make a large investment in the construction of the deep-water Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT) at Colombo Port in Sri Lanka.WSWS
Thailand: The Land Bridge project, a proposed route for shipping that could bypass the Malacca Strait, is being shopped by the Thai government as it seeks financing. If built, the bridge could reshape the economy of Southeast Asia – but China has not shown a willingness to put up the cash.SCMP
Vietnam: Vietnam raises multinational corporate tax rate in blow to Samsung and Intel. Adoption of OECD global standard could deter foreign manufacturers seeking alternative to China.FT
Angola: Angola has officially opened its new Luele diamond mine, the biggest in the country and one of the world’s largest by estimated resources. The project is likely to double the country’s annual production.RT Joe Biden said on Thursday he will travel to Angola, as Washington seeks to strengthen relations with African nations. The last time an American president visited the continent was in 2015, when Barack Obama traveled to Kenya and Ethiopia.RT
DRC: Is the new Mpox “outbreak” deadlier?IM In a sense, yes. But probably not substantially so. Western opposition to Chinese involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s mining sector is sharpening, with measures proposed to ban supplies of cobalt from Chinese companies.CGS The European Union announced on Wednesday that it was cancelling its election observation mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, citing “technical” reasons.AN
Egypt: Four foreign activists ‘disappeared’ in Cairo following pro-Palestine protest.MEE
Ethiopia: Akobo Minerals strikes gold at Ethiopia’s Segele mine after 13-year search.BNE
Ghana: A major spillage from an irrigation dam in Ghana on Monday displaced more than 200 households and affected hundreds of people in the area.AN
Kenya: The death toll from weeks of persistent rain and resultant flooding in Kenya has risen to at least 120 people. People from nearly 90,000 households have been displaced due to flood waters and are being accommodated in 120 makeshift camps, he said.DW
Madagascar: Two colonels in Madagascar’s army have been charged and detained on suspicion of attempting to “contest” the presidential election and “destabilise the government”.AN
Mozambique: Mozambique has recently greenlit a groundbreaking energy transition plan set to span until 2050, with the goal of securing investments totaling approximately $80 billion.AN Japan pledges to work with Mozambique towards restarting $20bn LNG project.BNE As COP28 draws near, Aisse Feldheim and Emilinah Namaganda reflect on how Mozambique – which holds the third largest natural gas reserves in Africa – negotiated its interests at COP27 in Egypt last year. There is ever-growing controversy at the COP meetings around the role of natural gas in the global energy transition. While some pre-existing alliances were fracturing, Mozambique has forged new alliances in its pursuit for continued extraction of natural gas.ROAPE
Niger: Niger’s electricity company (Nigelec) has commissioned a 30-megawatt photovoltaic plant to compensate for major shortages since Nigeria stopped supplying electricity to Niger in response to the July coup.AN The head of Niger’s military regime has repealed a law which criminalised the trafficking of migrants through the nation, a hub for those seeking to reach Europe via neighbouring Libya and Algeria.E
Nigeria: Africa’s richest man under pressure as giant refinery nears production.FT Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline to begin constitution in 2024, Abuja says.BNE
Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio announced on Sunday evening that calm has been restored after a day of armed clashes in Freetown, which he portrayed as an attempt to destabilize the state.AN ECOWAS ready “to deploy elements” in Sierra Leone “if need be”.AN
Somalia: A cargo ship carrying 25,000 tons of humanitarian wheat from Russia will arrive in Somalia in the next few days.RT UN Security Council to lift arms embargo on Somalia next month.AA
Sudan: Sudan and IGAD agree to convene emergency summit on Sudan crisis.CGTN The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on Tuesday announced the beginning of a ground campaign to march on the Sudanese capital to “eliminate” the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).CGTN The UN put an end to its political mission in Sudan as demanded by the Khartoum government. Sudan has seen months of conflict between two rival generals.DW
Tanzania: China Dongsheng’s Titan Lithium unit to start drilling at Titan 1 project in Tanzania.BNE
Togo: The Togolese government, led by President Faure Gnassingbé, announced on Monday its plans to hold legislative and regional elections no later than the end of the first quarter of 2024.AN
Zambia: China, IMF and investors can’t reach a deal on Zambia’s debt. What does it mean for other distressed African nations?.{SCMP](https://archive.ph/fEZs7)
Colombia: At El Cerrejon, Latin America’s largest open-pit coal mine, reports of human rights abuses and environmental destruction are piling up. Is that compatible with Germany’s values-driven foreign policy and Supply Chain Act?.DW
Cuba: Cuba’s economists committed to Che’s example.MR The governments of Venezuela and Cuba signed on Tuesday seven cooperation agreements on tourism that will serve to strengthen this sector in Venezuela, oriented to the international market.TS
Ecuador: Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Presents His First Cabinet.TS Ecuadorian Court Recognizes Siekopai Indigenous Territory.TS
El Salvador: El Salvador’s Congress late on Thursday granted President Nayib Bukele permission to leave his post so that he can campaign ahead of the country’s presidential election next year.CGTN
Guatemala: Guatemala: The Advance of Democratic Capitalism.R
Guyana: Guyana also raised the possibility of installing military bases in [Essequibo]: “We have never been interested in military bases, but we have to protect our national interest”, declared Guyana’s Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo.TS
Haiti: Gang warfare in Haiti has been spreading outward from the capital of Port au Prince into the rural agricultural heartlands, impacting food staples. Tens of thousands have fled.CGTN On Monday, the United Nations denounced that almost one in three Haitian women between the ages of 15 and 49 suffer physical violence, calling for an end to this scourge.TS
Jamaica: On Friday, Jamaica’s Minister of Labor and Social Security, Norman Dunn, assured that the government is committed to eliminating child labor in the country.TS
Nicaragua: US Sanctions Hit Nicaragua’s Social Investment Programs.R
Panama: Panama’s Supreme Court (PSC) on Tuesday declared “unconstitutional” the contract that renewed the concession for the exploitation of the largest open-pit copper mine in Central America, which triggered a protest movement that has spread for more than a month throughout the country. During that time there have been over 1200 protestors arrested.R
Paraguay: A high-ranking official within Paraguay’s Agriculture Ministry was sacked from his post-Wednesday after signing cooperation agreements with the non-existent country of Kailasa.MP
Peru: The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) gave the Peruvian Government one week to explain the situation of former President Alberto Fujimori, who might be released from jail following a Constitutional Court ruling earlier this week, it was reported in Lima.MP
Venezuela: In Q3 2023, oil and gas extraction expanded by 13 percent, which in turn allowed a significant increase in exports.TS Venezuela and Exxon Mobil’s Land Grab.R On Tuesday, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez asserted that the defense of the Essequibo territory is a matter that concerns all Venezuelans without any distinction. The European Union (EU) agreed to relax some of the sanctions imposed on Venezuela, with the objective of “facilitating organizations to deliver humanitarian aid."R US threatens to ‘pause’ sanctions relief for Venezuela.RT
Global Institutions
COP28: COP28 kicks off in Dubai amid urgency of global climate issues.GT In a remarkable early win for the Cop28 presidency, a loss and damage fund became official on day one. Sultan Al Jaber banged his gavel and the room rose in applause.CCN The Youth Climate Movement, an international activist network, has warned its members who are travelling to COP that “authorities can monitor civilians’ activity both online and offline with ease” and that “delegations should be prepared for surveillance as a method of intimidation”.OD UAE to seek oil and gas deals at climate talks, leaked documents reveal.MEE
More like COPE28, amiright?
Climate: IPCC rebellion.MR Some scientists are getting increasingly restless about the slow pace of climate policy, writing a 74-page preprint on the failures of the IPCC to achieve much of anything due to faulty science and temperature limits that are both too high for a sustainable planet, and will be exceeded regardless. The vast majority of corporate advocacy promoting carbon capture and storage is misaligned with climate science, new research shows.DS
Oil: On Thursday night, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) announced further production cuts for next year to bolster oil prices that have recently tumbled amid a weakening economic backdrop.TS Crude prices fail to rally after OPEC+ decision to cut oil supplies.PD
Debt: Sovereign bond sales are set to increase further next year as budget deficits swell across the developed world. Unfortunately, that coincides with central banks accelerating the reduction of the bond holdings accumulated through quantitative easing. This double whammy means bond yields, particularly at the longer end of the curve, are set for a difficult 2024.BB
The Second Cold War
Russia:
Diplomatically:
A decade after Euromaidan, Ukraine more fractured than ever.CD
A joint air defense system between Russia and the former Soviet Republics that make up the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has actually been created, despite it not being reflected in any documents, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has said.RT
Meaningful negotiations with the US are impossible under the current circumstances, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Monday.RT
Economically:
The EU is reselling more than a fifth of its imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia to other parts of the world, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.RT Half a dozen EU members want new sanctions on Russia watered down.BNE Wouldn’t it be easier to just say “six”? They’re unnamed but are probably central European states. Western states are pressuring Liberia, the Marshall Islands, and Panama to boost checks of ships sailing under their flags to ensure they are not used to help Russia bypass sanctions, Reuters reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.RT Moldova aligns to EU’s sanctions against Russia.BNE US aims to halve Russia’s energy revenues by 2030, says official.FT
Turkey’s exports of military-linked goods to Russia soar.FT
Militarily:
Ukraine SitRep: High Losses, Political Infighting, Blocked Borders.MoA Ukraine Finally Starts To Build Defense Lines.MoA Is it worse than ‘stalemate’ in Ukraine right now?.RS Ukraine war: Russia downs ‘dozens’ of Ukrainian missiles headed for Moscow.EN The West has essentially thrown Ukraine under the bus in its conflict with Russia by failing to provide Kiev with the necessary amount of military aid, Aleksey Arestovich, a former aide to President Vladimir Zelensky, has claimed.RT
The West Is Inching Closer to More Insanity in the Baltic Sea.NC Why Nato’s reassurances to Ukraine are starting to ring hollow.FT Major weapons manufacturers met government and military officials in Berlin this week to discuss European defense. A shared frustration: how to spend better amid pressure to spend more.DW
The Myth that Putin Was Bent on Conquering Ukraine and Creating a Greater Russia.SP
Power cut for half a million people and four die as worst storm in 100 years hits Crimea.BNE
China:
Diplomatically:
China, Vietnam vow to maintain South China Sea as a sea of peace and cooperation.GT Is China-Russia cooperation in the Arctic a double-edged sword for Beijing?.SCMP China not targeting Australia’s Pacific Island ties, says senior Communist Party official.SCMP China sends veteran ex-diplomat to Iran on ‘friendship’ mission.SCMP
Economically:
China eager for closer supply chains and no decoupling, Premier Li Qiang tells inaugural expo, in latest charm offensive.SCMP China’s leading remote agricultural monitoring system is arming developing countries with tools to break the information barrier in agriculture, challenging the Western-dominated rules of food.SCMP
Militarily:
China and India hope to “turn the page” on tensions over prolonged stand-offs at their shared Himalayan border at the 28th round of diplomatic talks.SCMP In 3592: “China and India completed their 10,000th round of diplomatic talks, with optimism for a negotiated settlement soon.” Malaysian socialist: ‘US military bases are the main reason for escalating tensions in the Asia-Pacific’.GL Australia-Philippines Joint Military Patrols Begin in South China Sea Week After Similar U.S.-Philippine Patrols.CGS US, UK, Australia to carry out maritime drone drills in 2024, focus on AI.SCMP
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command announced on Saturday that it will conduct a series of real combat training and drills along the Chinese side of the China-Myanmar border, which is aimed to test the rapid maneuverability, border sealing and firepower capabilities of locally positioned troops.GT Myanmar’s military government said several of the country’s armed insurgent groups destroyed a control station of the Myanmar-China oil and natural gas pipeline in a state bordering China.CGS
The flagship fifth-generation US fighter jet has met its match in South Korea: a bird. The South Korean Air Force has decided to retire an F-35A that was damaged when it hit an eagle last year, because repairs would cost more than the $85 million cost of buying a new one.RT
The Resistance:
Diplomatically:
Global South: how Israel-Gaza war and Western reaction are shaping role and ambition of this diverse group of countries.SCMP Israel’s war on Gaza has sent shock waves echoing throughout the Middle East. Mohamed Naeem, an Egyptian socialist activist, talks about the war’s impact and the way countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran are likely to respond.J House Dems sabotage Biden’s Iran diplomacy.RS US Postures Over Turkiye Alleged Failure to Curb Hamas Funders.NC Morocco: pro-Palestinian rally held in Casablanca.AN Israeli peace movement demands: Free all hostages on both sides, remove Netanyahu.PW Israel recalls its ambassador to Spain ‘indefinitely’ after Sanchez’s ‘shameful remarks’.EN Solidarity with Palestine – ROAPE statement.ROAPE
Modi government bans all expressions of solidarity with Palestine in Indian-held Kashmir.WSWS Biden became ‘Genocide Joe’ thanks to the Israel lobby.MR
Economically:
Israel’s Decades Old Plan to Exploit Gaza the Gas Fields of Gaza.MPN Malawi has sent several hundred labourers to work on farms in Israel, as the country struggles with a labour crisis sparked by an exodus of foreign workers following October 7th.MEE Opposition parties and human rights organizations in Malawi have voiced strong criticism against President Lazarus Chakwera and his administration for dispatching 221 young Malawians to engage in agricultural work in Israel.AN
Since Houthis seized a ship owned by an Israeli businessman last week in the Red Sea, global shipping has been taking stock of potentially rising risks.DW Australian Trade Unionists for Palestine are blocking Israeli ships at Melbourne and Sydney ports.RNN
Gazan Farmers Seize Opportunity of Ceasefire to Harvest Olives.TS
Militarily:
The regional reverberations of the Israel-Gaza war demonstrate why the White House should scrap, not reinforce, America’s outdated and unnecessarily provocative troop presence in Syria and Iraq.RS The Middle East at an inflection point.IP On Tuesday, Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Mehdi Farahi said the arrangements have been finalized for the delivery of a number of Russian military aircraft to Iran. He confirmed the upcoming delivery of Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, Mil Mi-28 attack helicopters, and Yak-130 jet trainers to the country’s armed forces.TS Raisi no-show suggests Iran irked by Turkey’s “words not action” posture on Gaza.BNE To be fair, you’re not (visibly) leading by example.
Fractures emerge in Israeli coalition over non-military expenditure.MEE Far-right ministers put pressure on Netanyahu as Hamas frees 16 hostages.FT
Freed Palestinian children say fellow prisoners were ’tortured to death’.MEE Gaza’s Call to the World: Unveiling the Silent Message of the Red Triangle.MPN Israel’s Genocidal Antisemitism Against the Arab Civilians of Gaza.SP British surgeon accuses Israel of using white phosphorus in Gaza.MEE Press Relayed Israeli Claims of Secret Hospital Base With Insufficient Skepticism.FAIR More people could die from disease than bombs in Gaza, says WHO.MEE The myth of the ‘surgical’ war.RS
Various Analyses
World’s oldest forts upend idea that farming alone led to complex societies.S
Why You Should Primarily Focus On Your Own Country’s Crimes.CA
Environment:
Climate dread among children and parents has risen due to increasingly frequent extreme weather events such as floods and heatwaves, a poll has suggested.E
This is how the world finally ends the HIV/AIDS pandemic.N
Economics:
The Dumb Luck of Dollar Hegemony.MH Economists as Hired Guns.MH
Fed Data on Cash Assets at the Biggest Banks Depicts an Out-of-Control Fed and Banking System.WSoP
The Destructively High Energy Cost of AI.NC New Technologies to Get Around Old Laws: Algorithms Being Used to Evade Antitrust Rules, Fix Prices and Worse.NC A book review by Michael Roberts on Power and Progress, by Daren Acemoglu and Simon Johnson.MR
“Free trade agreements are an engine of poverty and inequality.” Interview with José María Oviedo.BL Western tech dominance is over: Developing nations ready to take the lead.RT How the US’ exceptional industrial policy is killing globalisation.SCMP
Dipshittery and Cope:
Despite the significant headwinds Ukraine has faced in 2023, economic activity is surprising to the upside. Real GDP will be up more than 5% in 2023, inflation has plummeted to single digits, NBU reserves hit historical highs, and budget-deficit financing has been relatively smooth.BNE
Should we believe Americans when they say the economy is bad?.FT
LGBTQIA+
Content Warning - this is usually not good news.
How Nazi Germany Persecuted Transgender People.A
Romanian society is not ready to set up a legal framework that recognises same-sex families in accordance with a recent ruling by the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights, said Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, while expressing hope that society would one day be ready.E
Pew has conducted surveys in 32 countries in the past two years. Support was highest in Sweden, where 92 percent of respondents favored equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. Other countries Western Europe were not far behind, with 89 percent support in the Netherlands, 87 percent in Spain, 82 percent in France, and 80 percent in Germany. Each of those countries has legalized same-sex marriage.A